Benji Marshall’s failed code switch should serve as a warning to other NRL players
Brendan Cannon
The Daily Telegraph
Foxsports.com.au
April 26, 2014
I’M glad Benji Marshall realised what many of us could see clearly; that he was never going to succeed as a rugby player.
His failure and swift departure from the Blues will put a large question mark over the wisdom of attempted code switches from here on.
The obvious case in point is Sam Burgess, who has already decided to join rugby at the end of the season in an attempt to play for England at next year’s World Cup.
I’d like to preface this column by saying that I admire Burgess a great deal for the way he plays rugby league. I admire his fearless nature.
I have met him a couple of times and he does a lot of great work for the charity of a mutual friend.
Sam lost his father to motor neurone disease and has been a wonderful ambassador for the MND &ME charity, which was founded by Scott Sullivan who was diagnosed with Motor Nuerone Disease and seeks to provide help to sufferers and funds for research into the condition.
So this is by no means a swipe at Burgess’s character, because I hold him in the highest regard.
But I don’t believe he is capable of making the England squad for the 2015 World Cup. He’ll be sitting in the stands as a spectator.
I say this because of two reasons.
One: he simply hasn’t given himself enough time to adjust to the new code; and two: the RFU, the ruling rugby body in England, have not contributed to his wages.
The Bath club has paid the entire three-year salary – and a payout to Souths to release Burgess – which means he is wholly and solely owned by them.
Had the RFU contributed money, it would have been in their interest to fast-track Burgess into the national side.
Given that Bath is picking up the entire tab, the RFU can sit back and watch with no pressure, while reaping the inevitable publicity he will deliver.
It has also been reported that Bath would like to use Burgess in the backrow, which would be infinitely more difficult than playing centre, where England coach Stuart Lancaster would prefer to see him.
And time is against Burgess.
To learn the nuances of the game, the running lines and defensive patterns, all within a few months, will be an enormous challenge.
What will be nigh on impossible is developing the instincts for rugby.
Burgess has been a powerhouse in league because of his natural athleticism, his aggression, and his instincts. He knows when it’s time for a straight, direct run, when he should look for an offload, and when he can put on a big hit in defence.
In a new code, you will question your judgement constantly because it is an unfamiliar environment and you have no experience base to know what has worked and what hasn’t.
While league’s hawkers criticise union as blokes lying on top of each other for 80 minutes, it is league which is a very simplistic and basic sport.
Four tackles of every six just truck it up, truck it up and players mill around waiting whenever a teammates goes into contact, which is the opposite of what is required in rugby.
What the Marshall failure has taught us is that there is considerable risk for league players switching to union.
Brad Thorn, Israel Folau and Sonny Bill Williams are exceptional exceptions to the rule because they possess ability and talent that hundreds of others can only dream of.
I have no doubt player agents and players will talk about switching to rugby whenever contracts come up for renegotiation, but we can see that only a select few will really succeed.
I can’t see Burgess becoming transforming himself into a union player of equal ability to what he is in league in less than 12 months.
He would be better served aiming for the 2019 World Cup.
http://www.foxsports.com.au/rugby/b...ther-nrl-players/story-e6frf4pu-1226896774381
